Metabolix is a privately held company, founded in 1992 to apply the advanced tools of metabolic engineering and molecular biology to produce natural plastics. It holds an extensive patent position covering the fundamental biotechnology needed to produce PHAs (Polyhydroxyalkanoates) as well as compositions, processes and derived products. Metabolix's patent portfolio contains 130-plus U.S. patents, as well as their foreign equivalents. Amongst these, Metabolix specifically owns the genes that encode the basic PHA pathway, as well as the use of the genes, singly or in combination, for the preparation of PHAs. The company also owns important intellectual property related to various preferred metabolic pathways for the production of PHA copolymers of a variety of sorts and it owns several novel PHA compositions.
The company, the world leader in producing natural plastics from renewable resources in microbial systems, is well through its transition from development stage to commercialization stage in pursuit of it vision of a sustainable future through biotechnology for natural plastics, fuels, and energy.